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The Cost of Distracted Workers

November 28, 2011 By

Why Are Workers Distracted?

Many studies report that workers are distracted more than 2 hours every day.  This report leads to a variety of reactions, but the common denominator is frustration.  Managers are frustrated because they want more out their workers and their days, and interestingly, workers are just as frustrated, also wanting more out of their days.  So, why is everybody so frustrated?  Why are they losing so much time?

There are a few answers, but they all come back to distraction.  We can all agree that noise is a distracting thing, whether it’s good or bad noise.  There’s a reason we don’t talk on the phone right outside baby’s room- noise is intrusive and can interrupt the natural flow of things.  Thus, on a very base level, noise is distracting.  Take that distraction to an office, especially an open office format, and you get distracted workers.  Distracted workers are prone to more errors and stress than focused workers.  That’s a fairly obvious conclusion because it’s not hard to imagine making mistakes when one ear is tuned in to the office soundtrack on stereo speakers.  They’re more stressed because, contrary to managerial belief, workers do not prefer to lose hours of productivity a day to distraction- in fact, many complain that regardless of the 9-5 clock, they still have projects and deadlines and therefore wind up taking work home evenings and weekends.

Distracted Workers are Disengaged Workers

All of this contributes to what is called a disengaged worker, or a worker who has lost connection with his job.  The problem with disengaged workers is that they cost businesses billions of dollars a year due to

  • loss of productivity
  • errors
  • work-related stress/injuries
  • more sick days
  • frequent turn-over
And that is why disengaged workers are frustrated- they are stressed, losing time, and experiencing more illness and turn-over.  Unfortunately, even a new job doesn’t tune out distractions, so the same problems just keep repeating themselves.  The only real solution is sound masking, the use of white noise to provide a low-level background noise to cover ambient noise that causes so much distraction.
If distracted workers are problem for you, check out sound masking for more productive employees.
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Getting Thoughtful after Turkey

November 23, 2011 By

Tomorrow you will have eaten your turkey and pumpkin pie and will be appropriately stuffed, or maybe inappropriately stuffed…that’s your business not ours.  Your mind might start to wander.  You might do the math and realize that it’s less than a month until Christmas.  Having Thanksgiving tomorrow and Christmas in 4 weeks might be completely exciting or it might bring on utter feelings of stress.

The holidays should be a time of thanksgiving, celebration, and joy.  Instead we often feel stressed because we’re looking for ways to improve our bottom lines in an improving, but still tough economy.  You might have fewer workers but the same, if not higher, expectations for a brighter new year. These expectations are understandably stressful because they’ll be hard to accomplish.

Sadly, you’re not alone in your stress.  Besides the inevitable tension a declining economy ushers in, your employees are also stressed.  Interestingly, it’s distracted workers who feel more stressed.  It’s easy to deduce that distracted workers are disengaged workers who are unfocused at work.  What you might not know is that:

  • the average worker is distracted more than 2 hours every day- note this is the average worker, not the worst of the lot.
  • most workers actually feel stress as a result of that distraction

In fact, these distracted, disengaged workers suffer from several angles.  They:

  • are 18% less productive
  • have 27% higher rates of absenteeism
  • are 20-40% more likely to seek employment elsewhere
  • make 40% fewer attempts at problem-solving
  • experience more stress-related injuries as a result of not making ergonomic adjustments

Your company cannot afford loss of productivity, in addition to high rates of turn-over.  On the other hand, you can afford an ideal solution.  Sound masking is the addition of low-level background sound to reduce the impact of ambient noise.  Employees in treated areas feel less stress and are noticably more engaged and thus more productive.  Tough times call for creative measures.  Give us a try.

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Thanksgiving When It Really Matters

November 21, 2011 By

Happy Thanksgiving!!

On Being Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving…what are you thankful for?  We so often say “thank you” for mundane things, such as a funny YouTube clip or having the door held open for us.  We teach our children to say thank you well before they understand the concept.  So, what is being thankful and what are we really truly, deeply thankful for?

In honor of Thanksgiving week, I am thankful for so many things, such as the Lord and my family.  However, on a pretty personal level, I am deeply thankful to work for a company that allows me to honor my values and commitments and help my husband pay for his PhD in Scotland, a company that values honesty and integrity and never asks me to waver on them, a company that has allowed me to work from home so I can stay at home with my 3 children, one of whom is brand new!  I wanted to say thank you to the wonderful people at Speech Privacy Systems.

I started working for SPS over 2 years ago- I had no idea what “sound masking” was, but I was already a huge fan of white noise and sound machines.  Thus, it was an easy transition as I found myself passionate about the topic and continued to learn how businesses could apply the same technology for more productivity.


As my family and friends kept asking me who I was working for and why, they, too, began to see the beauty of the product.  Friends started using sound machines so their babies could sleep through loud older siblings and ringing phones, and my realtor parents saw the wisdom in sound masking technology for the office.  Too often they had to cut off a conversation or miss part of a call due to competing realtors or just plain old office noise.

So, like I said, working for SPS has been a ball!  I obviously love their product, but what really caught my attention was their integrity and their company philosophy.  They are dedicated to customer satisfaction and to doing right by people.  That’s pretty rare these days.  I guess it’s why they hired me: a stay-at-home mom.  They offered me the chance to supplement my husband’s income while enabling me the opportunity of a life time to stay at home with my kids.

I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to you all from us at Speech Privacy Systems- here’s to having a restful, quiet Thanksgiving week!

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Sound Masking for Doctor’s Offices

November 16, 2011 By

More than a Name and a Number

I am frequently amazed at the amount of information people are cash registers ask you for.  It might be your first name, your last name, your whole name, including middle name, your telephone number, your birthday, your email address, your zip code, etc.  Usually there’s a reason for this information, such as verifying use of a credit card or keeping track of reward points for whatever program you’re part of.  Regardless of the purpose, however, I always feel a little bit vulnerable, as if my identity is on display.  Not only are people privy to my personal information, my actual identity could be up for grabs if the right {or in this case, wrong} person were listening.

It’s a matter of privacy, and doctor’s offices are not unlike tellers and cash registers.  Upon checking in, you have to supply your name, date of birth, and sometimes a detailed description of what’s ailing you.  A common cold is one thing, but projectile vomit or bathroom issues are quite another.  Plus, you have the added bonus of everyone knowing how old you are- yesterday, I found myself gawking at the college student who said his birthday was in 1990.  Ninety.  I was sure I had misheard, but upon doing the math, I realized I really am getting that old.  And it was none of my business in all honesty.  Even though I was seated in the waiting room, 10 feet away from reception, his every word was clear as could be.

How Confidential Privacy Can be Achieved through Sound Masking

Once again, I am reminded of how much sound masking would help in doctor’s offices and waiting rooms.  No one wants their business to be everyone else’s- not at reception and certainly not in the doctor’s office where we have to bare our medical souls.  On the contrary, we crave confidential privacy, which is why HIPAA exists in the first place.  We want more than our physical records kept confidentially, we want our conversations protected as well.  The best way to achieve that is through a sound masking system.  It’s such a simple solution of adding white noise to an area {such as a waiting room or exam room} through speakers in the ceiling tiles.  The resulting speech privacy protects us all and keeps us from getting too nosy.

Sound masking protects patients’ confidential matters in both waiting rooms and exam rooms in their doctors’ offices.

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Sound Masking Suggestion for Hotels

November 14, 2011 By

Dear Hotel Managers-

As a frequent patron of your facilities, I have a simple request.  I understand that you can not control how loud other patrons are or who sleeps when, but as a paying customer myself, I would truly appreciate any help you can offer in aiding my family’s ability to sleep and generally enjoy our stay with you.  From partying futbolistas in Mexico City to drunk party-goers everywhere to businessmen and women who simply keep different hours than our children, we have been plagued for the past 5 years with an inability to actually rest in your establishments.  Now, I’ll admit we don’t always choose the poshest hotels since they’re not usually in our budget, but at the same time, the whole point of any hotel is to give any person a place to stay overnight and get rest.

In sum, people are people and they make noise.  Throw in slamming doors, loud footsteps, dripping faucets, blaring televisions, and it’s a nightmare for you, too, because people like me complain about it.  Actually, I don’t complain, I just don’t go back to that establishment, nor do I recommend it to my friends.  Thus, my noise issue becomes your noise issue because you lose business over it.

It may seem that my problem is unavoidable- you win some, you lose some.  However, I have a simple suggestion/request: sound masking.  There are several forms of effective sound masking, none of which require aesthetic or structural changes to your hotel.  There are 2 options, both of which utilize white noise:

  1. A Sound Masking System: this system emits white noise through in-ceiling speakers to cover noise.  It adds low-level background noise to mask unwanted noise in a larger area, such as a conference room or a block of rooms.
  2. A Sound Machine: sound machines are individual solutions for one room at a time.  since some patrons don’t care about noise, this is a nice option for those of us who do.  Simply keep some sound machines at the front desk and have them ready for distribution upon request or when someone like me comes down and complains.
It’s not just businesses that lose money over noise problems; hotels lose patrons as a result of unwanted sound.  A simple, effective solution is sound masking.
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The Benefits of Sound Masking: Part 3

November 9, 2011 By

The Benefits of Sound Masking: More Productivity, More Privacy

I frequently talk about the benefits of sound masking in general, namely that this practice blocks distractions and provides speech privacy.  These are extremely important benefits for open offices, hospitals, government offices, and military bases because workers and staff can be more productive {ie less distracted} and enjoy more confidentiality.    It is a well-studies fact that office noise contributes to workers’ levels of stress, error rates, and even levels of absenteeism.  These workers are more stressed, more prone to making mistake,s less likely to problem-solve, less likely to make ergonomic adjustments to their work stations, and turn over more quickly than workers in quieter offices.  Additionally, loud offices or headquarters or bases are not private.  Conversations can be easily overheard, leading to an economic or safety disadvantage.  All of this revolves around noise and noise leaks in the work place.  That is were sound masking comes in to play.  The introduction of low-level white noise into a treated area or several zones allows workers’ conversations and noisiness in general to be covered, or masked, so that fewer people are bothered by it or privy to it.  However, what kind of white noise should be used?  How loud should it be?  Isn’t adding noise to noise counter-productive?  Do I need a sound machine or a sound masking system?  How can I mask sound without making too much noise?  Can I have paging, too?

In the next few posts, I am going to answer these questions with regard to the superior sound masking capabilities of the VoiceArrest System.

When to Use a Sound Machine & When to Choose a Sound Masking System

We’ve talked about white noise, how it’s used for sound masking, and why speaker placement is so crucial in an effective sound masking system.  Now I’d like to talk about when to use a sound machine versus when to use a system.

Sound Machines

Sound machines are great for individual use.  Sound machines are especially helpful for frustrated workers in loud cubicles or with noisy co-workers.  They are also helpful as sleep aides for adults and children alike.  The main thing to know is that sound machines are most effective for individuals in small spaces.  They do not cover large areas or help entire offices, unless everyone has one.  However, for a cubicle, a bedroom, or a hotel room, a sound machine is a fantastic resource.

Sound Masking

In contrast, sound masking is more suitable for larger areas and more people.  By its design, sound masking systems deliver uniform, consistent speech privacy for entire offices through the gentle whooshing of white noise in speakers strategically placed in the ceiling tiles.  This kind of sound masking is ideal for noisy offices, medical facilities, government agencies, and military groups because it is effective in in reducing distractions, thus improving productivity, as well as achieving confidential privacy.  Thus, it’s more than a personal noise solution- an entire office or agency can benefit.

Sound machines are effective for individuals, while sound masking systems are more suitable for larger noise problems.

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The Benefits of Sound Masking: Part 2

November 7, 2011 By

The Benefits of Sound Masking: More Productivity, More Privacy

I frequently talk about the benefits of sound masking in general, namely that this practice blocks distractions and provides speech privacy.  These are extremely important benefits for open offices, hospitals, government offices, and military bases because workers and staff can be more productive {ie less distracted} and enjoy more confidentiality.    It is a well-studies fact that office noise contributes to workers’ levels of stress, error rates, and even levels of absenteeism.  These workers are more stressed, more prone to making mistake,s less likely to problem-solve, less likely to make ergonomic adjustments to their work stations, and turn over more quickly than workers in quieter offices.  Additionally, loud offices or headquarters or bases are not private.  Conversations can be easily overheard, leading to an economic or safety disadvantage.  All of this revolves around noise and noise leaks in the work place.  That is were sound masking comes in to play.  The introduction of low-level white noise into a treated area or several zones allows workers’ conversations and noisiness in general to be covered, or masked, so that fewer people are bothered by it or privy to it.  However, what kind of white noise should be used?  How loud should it be?  Isn’t adding noise to noise counter-productive?  Do I need a sound machine or a sound masking system?  How can I mask sound without making too much noise?  Can I have paging, too?

In the next few posts, I am going to answer these questions with regard to the superior sound masking capabilities of the VoiceArrest System.

The Benefits of Controlled Placement of Privacy

Last time we talked about white noise, why it works, and how it’s used in a sound masking system.  One of the most important steps in selecting an effective sound masking system is how the speakers are placed.  With many other systems the air space above the ceiling is utilized to distribute the white noise for sound masking. When the masking is delivered in appropriate volumes above the open cubicles, the sound also echoes in the ceiling above the closed offices, even though there are no loudspeakers present.  The result is often excessive noise levels in the closed office. The old systems could only resolve this problem by lowering the settings which resulted in less consistent privacy across the open office space.

In contrast, the VoiceArrest System uses Direct Field technology which provides better control over the sound distribution in an area shared by both open cubicles and closed offices. The sound masking intended for the open office area is entirely restricted to the open area, with no echoing or bleed over effect in the closed offices or conference rooms. If there are enclosed spaces that also require sound masking, separate zones can be established with their own levels and controls entirely independent of the necessary coverage of any open office area.  Thus, direct field sound masking delivers great coverage without the historical consequences.

Sound masking is an effective means of covering office noise and providing speech privacy.  It is most effective, however, when the speakers are placed directly within the ceiling tiles so that the sound is uniform.

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Sound Masking: From Individuals to Entire Offices

October 26, 2011 By

Loss of Time in Businesses

Not having enough time is a common complaint, from housewives to children {not} doing homework to office workers.  People just can’t get it all done, yet we are limited to 24 hours a day.  So how can we get more out of days?  The next best question to ask is what are our usual hang-ups?  What exactly drains our time to the point that we aren’t as efficient as we could be, or would like to be?

Focusing on business, both big and small, it’s interesting to find that it’s not usually the internet in general or personal calls or extended coffee breaks that suck our time.  rather, it’s office noise, or conversational distractions to be more precise.  These distractions typically come in the form of co-worker chatter.  Important to note, though, is the fact that co-worker chatter might or might not welcome to all participants.  It’s one thing to be distracted by a conversation you are actively engaged in and quite another to get dragged into it simply because it’s there and can’t be ignored.  Throw in all the other office noises, such as ringing phones and whirring machines, and you have a nightmarish situation productivity-wise.

Sound Masking: From Individuals to Entire Offices

These noises are part and parcel to working in a multi-person office.  It’s inevitable.  The combination of so many workers and adjacent cubicles with low walls prove to be a nightmare for good acoustics because it contributes to an ever-increasing level of office noise in a decreasing amount of space.  The solution is sound masking, the treatment of noise by absorbing, blocking, or covering it.  Usually a combination of all three is most effective, but it is coverage that is most effective in conjunction with others or even on its own.  Coverage is the use of white noise to help the brain tune out distracting sounds, thus keeping it focused on work.

You can plug in a sound machine for individual use, but the most helpful speech privacy system is something like the VoiceArrest.  This type of system is mounted directly in the ceiling tiles and provides uniform, consistent coverage that covers noise and even increases privacy levels for multiple workers.

In sum, sound masking works by reducing background sounds. Speech privacy systems, on the other hand, prevent conversations from becoming background sounds in the first place. Either of these will save any company money.

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Sound Masking: How It Helps Cut the High Cost of a Noisy Office

October 24, 2011 By

How Speech Privacy Affects Employee Engagement

The average worker is distracted more than 2 hours every day.  They are held hostage to their own internal distractions, as well as everyone else’s.  When people think about distractions, they usually think of day-dreaming and text messages and excessive meetings.  Interestingly, and quite frankly surprisingly, it’s not the internet or personal phone calls that claim the bulk of those 2 hours.  Rather, it’s conversational distraction, which includes those conversations the worker actively engages in, as well as the ones (s)he can’t help but overhear and thus fall prey to.  Such distractions are problematic in two ways: not only are conversations not private or confidential, they also add up quickly for a staggering loss of of focus, in addition to increased errors and stress, as well as fewer attempts to problem-solve.  Distracted workers are disengaged workers, and disengaged workers cost businesses a bundle.  Given this high cost of distractions, it’s no surprise that workplace distractions cost businesses like yours an estimated $587 billion in 2008.

Better Sound Masking Affects your Bottom Line

Whether you’re a small business owner, an open office manager, or simply bound by law to safeguard confidential information, speech privacy has never been more important, and improving your office’s acoustics to achieve it is relatively simple and cost-effective.  More effective than adding sound-absorbent flooring or extra partitions, sound masking is the introduction of white noise through in-ceiling tiles in order to treat a particularly noisy area…or multiple areas.  It’s counter-intuitive, but adding noise, the right kind of noise, actually helps the brain tune out the wrong kind.  The good thing is that the sound masking system doesn’t have to blast sound to be effective.  Instead, a low-level background noise is sufficient to cover, or mask, the unwanted distractions so that workers have greater speech privacy when necessary and all workers can be more productive.

Sound masking is the most effective means of dealing with unwanted noise so workers have more speech privacy.

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Sound Masking for Peace of Mind in Medical Facilities

October 19, 2011 By

Going to the hospital

I’m carrying our third child and by nature of being a mother of almost 3, we have had our fair share of doctor’s appointments.  Our first child was mostly carried in Texas but delivered in Iowa, while our second child was carried and delivered in Iowa, while this last one has been carried and will be delivered in Scotland.  {I know- our lives are crazy.}  As a result, I have been in the typical OB/GYN office and labor and delivery hospital with a private delivery room and recovery room.  In the UK, I have had all my appointments with various midwives and will not have a private delivery or recovery room.  In addition to bringing them in the world originally, we have had nothing major health-wise, but a few scares and lots of eye doctors.

I say all this to mention that there are a lot of nerves when delivering a child or when dealing with their various health issues.  When laying in the labor and delivery room or sitting in the waiting room to have your precious child examined, the last thing you want to hear is anyone screaming or receiving any kind of news.  If they get good news, you worry it’s your turn for the bad.  If they get bad news, you feel terrible for them and secretly, but understandably,  hope for better news.

Sound Masking for Privacy & Confidentiality

A simple solution would be sound masking, in which white noise would softly hum through speakers installed directly in the ceiling tiles.  The result would be that the low-level noise would be soft enough to go largely unnoticed, but just enough to cover the noises (crying, screaming, news, etc.) coming from other exam rooms.  Both the waiting parents and the children would be spared the fear of pain that is a natural result of hearing others cry.  As an added bonus, speech privacy levels would also go up, so as medical professionals needed to discuss cases, questions, or results, each individual would be protected from being overheard.

As we all know the customer is king- in this case, the patient is king.  If a medical facility would like to keep their patients happy and satisfied, then a simple proactive measure like sound masking may well be the answer.

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